Review by kadambi (2010-07-05)
Having seen the movie long before I read the book, I expected it to be an action thriller. I couldn't have been further from the truth.

The book (not surprisingly) is much more nuanced. The protagonist is conflicted about his assignments and this ambiguity in his mind only increases as the story progresses. All the while, the androids seem tragically much more human (at least some of them).

It constantly challenges the book about what it is to be human. Is it our sense of empathy? our love for fellow beings? I kept wondering about it even long after I read the book.

Review by lobotomy42 (2006-08-15)
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? is, like many science fiction classics, more significant in the ideas it presents than its characters or plot. The idea of artificial humans and whether they can empathize with others is a strong theme which this books explores probably at least as well as any other has, and in a somewhat different way than Blade Runner. Don't read this expecting an easy sci-fi romp - the plot isn't fully resolved, and neither are the answers to the questions raised.

Review by sqbr (2003-07-01)
I personally don't really like Phillip K Dicks writing style, it's very dry and he seems to have no affection for his characters. There are more ideas in this than the film, but I still prefer "Bladerunner" as a piece of fiction to enjoy.

Review by matt (2003-03-11)
I've read quite a few of Dick's novels but it is only recently that I picked up 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep'; I kind of stalled reading it because I thought I knew the story, it being the novel on which Blade Runner is based. I was wrong; the book is very different from the film. There's no doubt that Blade Runner is a great piece of cinema, but it really did skim the surface of the themes explored in the book. Read it!